I decided to divorce Mindy Wilson on the third day of our wedding anniversary trip. We had planned this trip for nine months, but she insisted on bringing her male assistant along, claiming she couldn’t neglect work. No matter how much I objected, it was useless. When I told her my decision to divorce, she asked, incredulously, if I was joking. I didn’t hesitate; I just nodded, clearly telling her again: “Yes, divorce.” “We don’t need to live this exhausting life. Let’s end it here.” That was my final summary of our relationship. 1 “A reason?” Mindy Wilson’s eyebrows shot up. “Marcus Heckerling, you better explain yourself clearly.” I leaned against the hotel room window, outside was the azure water of the Maldives. We were supposed to be spending a romantic fifth wedding anniversary here; this was a beautiful trip I had painstakingly planned for over half a year. But now, I only found that blue offensively garish. “You’ll know the reason soon enough.” Just then, the doorbell rang. Mindy turned, and the male assistant appeared at the door. “Ms. Wilson, the ten o’clock conference call is about to start.” Adrian Miller’s voice was deliberately lowered, thick with an unctuous tenderness. His gaze swept over me, a fleeting smirk of triumph playing on his lips. My expression remained calm. “Mindy Wilson, two days into our trip, you and your male assistant have had over a dozen conference calls.” “Day or night, you two spend more time together than you do with me.” “Do you think this marriage still needs to be maintained?” Mindy frowned, “Is there something wrong with that? You know how important this merger is to me!” “Merger?” I took a step forward, looking directly into her eyes. “For our fifth wedding anniversary trip, you brought three suitcases.” “Two of them were filled with documents.” “You didn’t pack a single outfit for me, didn’t even bring your own swimsuit, but you remembered to prepare three suits for Adrian.” “Can you explain why?” Mindy was speechless. Adrian stepped in at just the right moment, a nauseatingly humble smile on his face. “Mr. Heckerling, it’s all my fault.” “I didn’t arrange the meeting times properly, affecting your and Ms. Wilson’s itinerary.” He lowered his head slightly, his bangs falling forward, making him look innocent and wronged. “Ms. Wilson has been under too much stress lately, sometimes she forgets things. Please don’t blame her.” I watched his performance, noticing that as he spoke, his fingers unconsciously brushed Mindy’s wrist. A seemingly unintentional but deliberately intimate touch, and Mindy didn’t pull away. “Mr. Miller,” I said, my face hardening, “when I’m speaking with my wife, it’s not your place to interrupt.” Adrian immediately took half a step back. “I’m sorry, Mr. Heckerling, I was wrong.” He looked at Mindy, his eyes like a puppy caught in the rain. So pathetic. “Ms. Wilson, I’ll go prepare the meeting materials then. I won’t disturb you further.” “Wait.” Mindy grabbed his arm. She turned to me, her eyes holding that familiar stubbornness. “Marcus, don’t be unreasonable. You know the special nature of my work.” I retorted, “Special enough to share a room with your assistant discussing until two in the morning?” Then I pulled out my phone and opened my photo gallery. “Special enough that he can call you Mindy, but I, your husband, have to make an appointment just to have dinner with you?” Adrian’s face changed, but he quickly put on his innocent expression again. “Mr. Heckerling, you’ve misunderstood.” “Yesterday, because there were so many documents, we…” “Shut up.” I cut him off without ceremony. Mindy’s brows furrowed. “Marcus! How can you speak to Adrian like that? He’s my most competent assistant!” I scoffed, directly retorting, “Since he’s so excellent, then I ask, how much has he contributed to the company? How many big deals has he closed for the company?” Mindy was speechless for a moment. Adrian lowered his head, feigning self-reproach. “Mr. Heckerling is right, I do have many shortcomings and haven’t been able to share more of Ms. Wilson’s pressure.” Seeing this, Mindy immediately patted his shoulder with a pained expression, then glared at me. “Marcus, that’s enough!” “Adrian has been working almost day and night for this merger. Can’t you see his dedication?” “What right do you have to question him?” “Day and night?” I sneered. “Yes, even on our anniversary trip, he has to be stuck to you day and night. How tiring for him.” Mindy’s face flushed instantly, and she raised her voice. “Can you stop being so sarcastic?” “Adrian is my assistant, his job is to assist me. What’s wrong with that?” “Are you expecting me to drop all my work because of your unreasonable behavior?” “My unreasonable behavior?” I repeated her words, suddenly finding it incredibly absurd and laughable. I pointed at Adrian. “You two shared a room until dawn last night. As your husband, I was left alone in an empty bed.” “He blatantly touched your hand in front of me, and you couldn’t even be bothered to flinch.” “Ever since he joined the company, no matter what, if he opens his mouth, it’s always my fault.” “I can’t even question him!” “So all of this, in your eyes, is my unreasonable behavior?” Adrian quickly interjected, “Mr. Heckerling, you’ve really misunderstood. I only have respect for Ms. Wilson, absolutely no other intentions!” “No other intentions?” I sneered, “Not even a dog would believe your words!” Mindy exploded like gunpowder, shielding Adrian behind her. “Marcus, that’s enough!” “Adrian is my employee, and he’s my friend. I won’t allow you to insult him like that!” 2 I stared into her eyes, trying to find a trace of guilt or hesitation. But there was only stubbornness and anger. I suddenly felt tired, exhausted. Too weary to listen to any more of this nonsense, I simply turned and left. “Marcus!” Mindy called after me, her voice laced with a hint of panic. “Where are you going?” I didn’t look back. That night, I sat on the patio smoking. Mindy returned. “Marcus.” Her voice was much softer than during the day, with a deliberate hint of conciliation. “There are a lot of mosquitoes out here, come inside.” I didn’t move, just stared at the dark ocean outside the window. She sighed, walked over to me, and reached out to take the cigarette from my hand. I subtly shifted, avoiding her. Her slender fingers paused awkwardly in the air for a few seconds. “Don’t be like this,” she whispered. “We need to talk calmly and properly.” Only then did I look up at her. She was wearing a black, sexy lace negligee, the sheer fabric barely covering anything, gleaming seductively in the moonlight. This was a gift I’d given her on our honeymoon, which she’d always refused to wear, saying it was too revealing. I was surprised she’d brought it this time. “Does it look good?” She tilted her head slightly, a tempting smile playing on her lips. I extinguished my cigarette, stood up, and walked past her towards the room. “Put some clothes on. We need to discuss the divorce papers.” “Marcus!” She chased after me, grabbing my wrist. “What do you want from me?” “You know how much I love you, I don’t want a divorce!” I stopped, turning to face her directly. “If you don’t want a divorce, it’s simple.” “Fire Adrian immediately and promise never to have any contact with him again.” “Can you do that?” The expression on her face instantly froze. She let go of my hand and stepped back. “Just because he’s my assistant, you want me to fire someone who’s vital to the company?” “Vital?” I sneered. “He hasn’t completed a single independent project in the six months he’s been with the company. He only keeps his job by clinging to you.” “Mindy Wilson, you’re not an idiot. You’re an adult. Stop playing dumb.” Her cheeks flushed with anger. “You’re too petty! Adrian is diligent and responsible, this merger wouldn’t have been possible without him…” “Without him, it wouldn’t affect your ability to get the job done.” I cut her off without ceremony. “But you chose to let him infiltrate every corner of our lives.” “Our wedding anniversary, you brought him along.” “Our dinner date, he sat at the next table.” “Now, even during our conversation by the bed, you’re defending him.” Mindy’s chest heaved, her black lingerie trembling slightly with each breath, creating an alluring shadow in the moonlight. In the past, I would have already pulled her into my arms. But now, I only felt a surge of weariness. “You don’t understand,” she still tried to explain. “Work is like this, I need his assistance.” My voice rose. “Mindy Wilson, I’m not discussing this with you anymore.” “Either he goes, or we’re over.” “There’s no third option.” Her eyes widened; she seemed not to expect me to be so firm. Suddenly, a harsh phone ring broke the stalemate. Mindy hurried to the bedside table, glanced at the caller ID, and visibly tensed. I didn’t need to guess; it had to be Adrian calling at this hour. She answered, her expression swiftly changing from worry to panic. “What? You fell? Is it serious?” “…Okay, I’ll be right there.” Hanging up, she hastily grabbed a jacket and started to leave, not even stopping to change out of her sexy lingerie. “Mindy Wilson.” My voice was chillingly calm. “If you walk out that door today, the divorce is final.” Her hand was already on the doorknob. At my words, she paused. Time seemed to freeze; I could hear the sound of my own heartbeat. Three seconds, five seconds. She turned her head, her eyes holding an unfamiliarity I’d never seen before. “Marcus, don’t be like this,” her voice pleaded. “Adrian is really hurt. This isn’t home, he’s alone with no one to care for him…” “So what?” I straightened up. “The hotel has doctors, staff, they can even call an ambulance.” “He’s not a three-year-old child, and you’re not his mother.” Mindy: “But he’s hurt because he was working late…” “Choose, Mindy Wilson,” I cut her off. “Now, immediately.” Her lips trembled, a flicker of an emotion I couldn't read in her eyes. Finally, she took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I’ll be back soon.” The night wind blew away my last shred of hesitation. I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “Mr. Davies, regarding the divorce agreement, let’s discuss it in detail tomorrow after I return home.” 3 Mindy Wilson didn’t return all night. At four in the morning, my phone vibrated. I opened social media and saw Adrian had just posted an update. In the photo, he was sitting on a lounge chair on the hotel patio, his knee wrapped in bandages, holding a glass of champagne. Mindy stood behind him, leaning slightly close to his shoulder, a bright smile on her face. “Far from home, grateful for your company.” I closed social media and booked the earliest flight back home. As I boarded, a stranger sent me a video. In the video, a man and a woman were tumbling on a bed, kissing passionately. Though their faces were a bit blurry, I recognized the female lead immediately. I tightened my lips, directly turning off my phone. When the plane landed and I turned on my phone, dozens of missed calls and messages immediately popped up, all from Mindy. I was about to turn it off again when her call came through. “Marcus!” Her voice was distinctly angry. “Where are you? Why did you suddenly come back?” “Suddenly?” My tone was calm. “I thought my intentions were quite clear.” “Just because I went to take care of Adrian last night, you just left me and took off?” Her voice suddenly sharpened. “Do you know how worried I was, alone in that hotel?” I laughed sarcastically. “I saw you and Adrian having a great time, even posting on social media. You actually had time to worry about me?” Silence on the other end for a moment, then her slightly guilty voice came through. “He posted on social media?” “The photos are quite good,” I said coldly. “Marcus, do you have to be so sarcastic?” “Adrian fell and got hurt last night. I just went to help him with his injuries!” “As his boss and a friend, I have an obligation to look after him.” My patience completely evaporated. I sneered, “Mindy Wilson, don’t take me for a fool.” “You’re utterly unreasonable!” “Adrian and I are completely innocent. You’re just petty, you always have to think the worst!” “Whether you’re innocent or not, you know in your heart. Just wait for my divorce papers.” “Marcus!” Her voice finally carried a hint of panic. “Are you really going to divorce me over a small matter?” “It’s only a small matter to you.” “But for me, it’s a man’s bottom line.” I heard her hurried breathing on the other end, as if she still wanted to say something. But I didn’t give her the chance; I just hung up. The next day, Mindy, as if deliberately provoking me, frequently updated her social media. Sometimes it was photos of her and Adrian eating at a restaurant, sometimes she showed off gifts she received, with ambiguous captions. “Thanks to someone for the surprise, all the hard work is worth it.” I scrolled past them expressionlessly, sending her the divorce papers with the assets divided. Soon, Mindy called. “Marcus, what is this supposed to mean?” “You really think I can’t live without you, don’t you?” Too lazy to argue, I simply hung up and blocked her number. Seven nights later, on a stormy evening, I was at a friend’s gathering. A strange number sent another video. In the video, Adrian was wearing my silk pajamas, holding a glass of red wine, looking up at the huge wedding photo of Mindy and me. A mocking sneer hung on his lips, and on the bed was the sexy lingerie I bought Mindy, disheveled. An indescribable fury surged from the depths of my heart. Mindy and I weren’t even divorced yet, and he was brazenly occupying my house, acting like the man of the house. He had gone too far!
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